Latin American Business Council (LABC)

Gustavo Rodea has lived in Wilmington since 2008. He is married to Lupe Duran. Together
they have two boys, Anthony, age 13 and Leonardo, age 3. 
Gustavo Rodea is an entrepreneur who has 18 years of experience in the retail business world. Having
moved to the United States from the largest city in the world, Mexico City, Rodea began his career at
the tender age of 22 and became a successful entrepreneur. He attributes his success to the seminars,
books and continuing education that he pursued along the way, as well as his self-taught abilities
through trial and error. During the national economic recession of 2008, Rodea’s dream of becoming a
business owner were put on hold as he was forced to sell his company as part of a wise business
strategy to stay ahead.

I am a Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counselor qualified to provide evidence-based treatment. My education is in the field of Psychology and Counseling. I have a master’s degree in Psychology and Counseling, and intensive training in Sociology, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Phlebotomy, EKG, and Medical Terminology. My experience in the field began in 2010 as an Intern at Rockland Psychiatric Center, where I had the opportunity to work directly with psychology in a psychiatric ward. I completed a three-month internship at Russell E. Blaisdell Addiction Treatment Center, an all-male inpatient facility that provides addiction treatment. I became an Intensive In-Home provider in 2015 and transitioned to individual counseling the following year. I have worked with adolescents, adults, couples, families, and groups. As an outpatient therapist, I facilitate changes conducive to healthy lifestyles.

Hey there, my name is Kristina Marie. I am co-owner of Cassian Films Inc, a video production company based here in Wilmington, NC. Our team loves to site see so you will often see videos of us traveling. As we continue to grow our mission to strengthen relationships remains unchangeable. I look forward to meeting you and your team! If you have a story to tell, we would love to share it through visual storytelling. Something fun about me: I enjoy singing and playing ukulele, spending time with my husband Cody Scott reading The Bible, hiking and playing with our dog Loki, and traveling to new places. If you have any questions I'm usually available to chat Monday through Friday anytime after 11am. Talk with you then!

I’m a Wilmington native and this is where I hope to stay for the rest of my life. I am committed to our community and to my goal of building a better life for future generations in my hometown, and I do my best to reflect that in my actions and in my business. 

I pride myself on making each transaction as smooth as possible, but my job doesn’t end at closing. I serve my clients as a real estate advisor, assisting them with everything from homeownership advice and investment opportunities, to helping navigate our community, local government, and school system. Being a Wilmington native with a lifetime of connections in the area means that my clients have access to the best professionals in the region.

I serve as the Community Liaison for Wilmington Health. I spend my time building relationships throughout the community with employers, healthcare providers, and the general public. I communicate with the community to bring awareness to healthcare issues and the services that we provide at Wilmington Health. 

Cassian Films is addressing the needs of small businesses by helping them forge stronger relationships with customers through visual storytelling. We start by defining success, clarify the message, and deliver on consumable content. We then support them when it’s needed with personal insights. This saves the company hundreds of thousands of dollars over a two-year period.

Veronica Easterly has served in customer service for over 20 years. As one who prides herself in servanthood, she aspires to assist clients with buying and selling of their homes .Veronica is detail-oriented, an avid listener, a skilled negotiator, and a licensed realtor with Keller Williams Realty. As a resident of North Carolina she views it an honor to highlight the city’s geography and to meet the diverse needs of her clientele. Veronica will ensure that you receive the dedication needed while embarking upon one of your greatest decisions of a lifetime.

Travis Corpening is a Raleigh, NC native, a graduate of the University of North Carolina Wilmington and an author, speaker and consultant. Corpening considers it a blessing to have spent over 20 years improving personal development, equity, and student outcomes. In 2010 he created a company to train agencies to work with diverse groups of young people. Eventually he saw the need to expand the program and created a non-profit called the Young Mogul Development Group, teaching young men entrepreneurship and self-branding. In 2014 Travis was selected by StarNews of Wilmington as one of the 12 to Watch in the Cape Fear Region. Through his continued work, he has been recognized with numerous awards like the NAACP Youth Award and UNCW’s 2016 Young Alumn of the Year. In 2016, he achieved Best Paper at the Clute International Conference for writing and presenting on barriers for ex-offenders in higher education.

Personal Brand + Culinary Photographer

Hi! I'm Amanda, a brand photography and strategic marketing expert for experienced Chefs and Event Professionals around the country. Providing an artistic approach to purposeful marketing campaigns that help scale your business.

There are a lot of options out there, but what makes me unique is my ability to know and understand the  "language" of the event industry because I used to be part of your world. I contribute valuable feedback to achieve the best results on your brand photography journey.

I'm a biomedical engineer turned entrepreneur. My focus is on time management from a holistic perspective, meaning I'll look at everything from nutrition to networking as a logistical operation that can be performed smarter. With that, I like to keep things human - life is not about optimizing every single minute. It's about remaining aware of what matters most with your time. I was born and raised in Miami, FL. My parents are Uruguayan. I studied at Worcester Polytechnic Institute for both my Bachelor's and Master's, but my favorite degree is at the school of hard knocks! Outside of work, I love water polo, guitar, rock climbing, and a not-so-small-anymore tabby cat who goes by Isaac, among other silly nicknames.

Anne is the Chief Executive Officer of Cape Fear REALTORS^®, a local trade association representing more than 3,400 real estate professionals in Wilmington and the greater Cape Fear region. She has represented professional and trade organization in the Washington, D.C. area, central Virginia and Wilmington, NC. Anne holds a Masters of Business Administration in Organizational Leadership from the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech. 
 
She is an active volunteer, having served as a mentor for local leadership programs and is a member of the Cape Fear Rotary. She recently completed terms on the board of the of the Thomas Jefferson Community Land Trust,  Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development and the Salvation Army Corps of Charlottesville.

Chakema Clinton-Quintana is vice president of Inclusive Small Business at Live Oak Bank, where she leads the inclusive small business center. She focuses on strengthening and supporting inclusive small business growth in our communities and verticals through research, job creation programs, capital allocation, mentorship, and programming. Chakema has 19 years of banking experience and has a degree in business management from Strayer University in Herndon, Virginia. Her background includes foreclosure, real estate short sales, loss mitigation, relationship management, and compliance. Chakema currently serves on the board of directors for three non-profit organizations, including treasurer of Voyage Wilmington, treasurer of Red, Black, & Love, Inc., and board chair for The OOPS Foundation.

We are a Marketing Firm established in Wilmington, NC in March 2014, by Jennifer Galeano, a Journalist and Social Communicator from Colombia. Eureka Marketing is a Latin Woman-owned local business. We help to break the cultural and language barrier by connecting people, companies, and organizations, presenting products and services professionally and creatively to the American and Latino audiences through bilingual marketing, digital strategy, web development, photography, videography, and graphics design.